About Us

Mission Statement

The Adult Learning Association of Cape Breton County exists to respond to the learning needs of adults so they may participate more fully at home and in the workplace, thus supporting healthy, sustainable communities.

The Adult Learning Association of Cape Breton County is celebrating its twenty first year in 2010, and has been delivering community based adult upgrading classes since 1993. Working with our partners, the Association served over 240 Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) residents in 2009-2010 in six different communities with upgrading, family and seniors’ literacy programs.

The Adult Learning Association is part of a network of 31 community literacy associations across Nova Scotia. We are partners in the Nova Scotia School of Adult Learning (NSSAL) funded through the Nova Scotia Department of Labour & Workforce Development.

In NSSAL, we work closely with the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board and with Marconi Campus of the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) to offer the full range of NSSAL programming to adult learners in CBRM.

The Adult Learning Association of Cape Breton County is a non-profit society and a federally registered charitable organization. You can help Make Learning Possible in CBRM by clicking on the Donate Now button to make an online donation.

Our office and Sydney Classrooms are in the Southend Community Centre, 28 Hillview Avenue. We also have locations in Glace Bay, New Waterford and North Sydney.

What We Do

Literacy skills are developed throughout a lifetime, and the Adult Learning Association responds to this by providing free adult upgrading, family and seniors’ literacy programs across CBRM.

As technology advances, the level of literacy skills needed by people keeps rising. There is a literacy crisis in CBRM, as over 44% of residents have difficulty with the reading, writing & math skills needed to cope in our modern society. Investment in literacy is beneficial to our communities, as people with higher literacy levels have better health, improved employment prospects and fewer encounters with the justice system.

Our free community based classes are open to any adult 19 years of age who has been out of school for 1 year and who wants to improve his/her reading, writing and math skills. The classes are small (fewer than 15 students) and learner centred. There is a continuous entry and exit policy. Students are informally assessed to determine their skill levels and helped to identify their learning goals.

Qualified teachers follow the Nova Scotia Adult Learning Program in all classes. Completion of Level Two of the Program can lead to further educational opportunities at either the Nova Scotia Community College or the Adult High School. We follow the Standards for Community Based Adult Literacy Programs which have been developed by the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Workforce Development. The enhanced skills and self esteem that result from the development of literacy skills lead to an improved quality of life for the learner for his/her family and for the community because improved literacy encourages participation in all aspects of our society.

Staff

The Adult Learning Association of Cape Breton County employs qualified staff who bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Association.

The Adult Learning Association administrative and instructional staff participate in the Tutor and Instructor Training and Certification Program of the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Workforce Development along with on-going Professional Development. Staff use a wide variety of teaching approaches, learning activities and resource materials appropriate for working with adults who want to improve their reading, writing, math and critical thinking skills.

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